It’s world mental health day (10th October) and it feels like the perfect moment to discuss mental health in academia.
We all know that academia can be challenging, so say the least. Between endless deadlines, tough competition, and the constant pressure of “publish or perish”, it’s no wonder so many researchers struggle with stress and burnout – rates of up to 3x the average population. The system often feels designed to test endurance rather than curiosity.
But what if (some of) that pressure wasn’t inevitable? What if the way we share and talk about science could actually make the research experience kinder and more human?
That’s where preprints and open science enter.
Sharing early, with you in charge
One of the hardest parts of academic publishing is the waiting. You can spend months or years sending a paper from journal to journal, collecting rejections, and wondering if anyone will ever see your work. It’s demoralising and, in the worst cases, can destroy careers before they’ve even begun.
Preprints change that. They let you share your research right away, before it’s formally published. You get to say when your work is ready for public dissemination, not editors or peer reviewers or any other gatekeeper – You. That simple act of putting your work out there can be a huge mental relief. You’re no longer stuck waiting, and you can finally point to something concrete that proves you have been productive.
Feedback that feels supportive
Another perk of sharing early is the feedback. Instead of waiting for anonymous reviewers behind closed doors, you can get comments from the wider community which often faster, and friendlier.
The open science world has a growing culture of constructive feedback and collaboration. Knowing that people are engaging with your work, building on it, or even just appreciating it can counteract that sense of isolation so many researchers feel.
Collaboration not competition
Open science also nudges the culture toward teamwork instead of rivalry. When people share their data, code, and preprints openly, it sends a clear message: science works better when we help each other and are collaborative.
That’s a subtle but powerful shift. Instead of guarding results until publication, open practices make it easier to connect, learn, and collaborate. And that sense of community can be a serious mood booster. It also just so happens to be better for your career and science too!
A lifeline for early-career researchers
For early-career scientists, preprints can be a game changer. You don’t have to wait years to have something to show for your work; your preprint is your publication record. You can use it to demonstrate progress, attract collaborators, or even strengthen job and grant applications.
It’s empowering to take control of your research story instead of waiting for the system to validate it. That confidence and autonomy can go a long way in protecting mental well-being.
Normalising the messy
Finally, open science helps normalise the messy, imperfect, reality of doing research. Sharing data, methods, and even null results makes it clear that science isn’t a string of flawless breakthroughs but rather trial, error, and (a lot of) persistence.
When failure becomes part of the story, not something to hide, it takes away a lot of the shame and self-doubt that can eat away at researchers over time.
Toward a kinder science
Preprints and open science aren’t just about faster sharing or better reproducibility. They’re about changing the culture, making research more transparent, collaborative, and humane.
They remind us that science is a human endeavor, done by real people with real struggles. And when we make space for openness, we make space for well-being, too.
And that is the kind of revolution academia needs most.
Image credit: Photo by Total Shape on Unsplash
Rippling Ideas 